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Classified as an urban class utility vehicle by its Japanese creators, the Nissan NV200 van has earned the distinction of being one of the most versatile utility vehicles globally. Working under various aliases across borders, Nissan’s MPV for the world which officially arrived for the very first time on Indian shores as the Evalia at the AutoExpo in January 2012 has now rolled off its shiny show floor and is ready to hit the showrooms.

MPV by name but very upmarket and progressive in its fit, finish and overall styling, the Evalia isn’t just a good looking utility van but simply put is the most spacious and multi-functional premium class people mover to be ever launched in the Indian UV space.

The cab-forward approach leaves plenty of room for passengers in the middle and third row even and all in all the Evalia can accommodate as many as 8 occupants with ease. The 60:40 split middle row bench is near devoid of any contouring leaving it very flat and to top that it’s rather thin too.

The centre row also gets very usable aircraft style foldable trays with secure cup holders. There's a nice dose of quality fabric all around and plastics seem decent, with good build quality throughout. With the third row folded the Evalia will free up a massive 2,100 litres of space and that further goes up to 2,900 litres with the middle row bent over as well!

Mated to a 5-speed manual transmission the front-wheel drive MPV is powered by a 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine that produces 85PS of power and 200Nm of torque. Nissan claims that the Evalia can hit 60km/h in 12.7 seconds owing to its monocoque construction that gives it a lower kerb weight compared to other MPVs available in the market today. The ARAI figure for the Evalia stands at 19.3kmpl which translates to a 50% better overall efficiency as compared to the current competition.

A 5.2 metre turning radius, the huge windscreen before the driver, a rear view camera for getting in and out of those tight parking spaces, a multi function display accompanying the speedometer and an on-board computer that constantly calculates your fuel efficiency are one among many attributes that in all probability should make this ‘melody on the move’ utility van a much preferred candidate in the country’s constantly expanding fleet operations.

Welcomed on stage with an almost magical high school musical at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, the Nissan Evalia (Read : Nissan Evalia First Drive) is now on sale pan India and has been priced starting from Rs 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the base XE variant all the way up to Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the top end XV trim. Nissan is looking at doubling its overall sales post the introduction of the Evalia in India.

On sale in four diesel variants with a music system and more importantly, safety features like ABS, EBD and Brake Assist being offered as standard apparatus the Evalia now joins Nissan’s passenger car portfolio here in India, with the Japanese car maker already looking ahead with future plans that envisage the launch of ten new models by 2016.